Gemini Observatory invites its community to propose scientific investigations for the 2017B semester, 1 August 2017 - 31 January 2018.
The submission deadline varies with partner. Multi-partner joint proposals should be submitted by the deadline of the participant country to which the Principal Investigator is affiliated. Proposals for exchange time on Gemini from the Subaru community are required to be submitted by March 31, 2017 at 23:59 HST (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time). An overview of the Gemini proposal submission process is available.
The Call is open to all partners and host institutions : Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Chile, the University of Hawaii, Korea (under its Limited-term Partnership MoU), and Australia (under its Limited-term Partnership MoU). US time is open to all astronomers worldwide including those at non-US institutions, although in that case the proposal must explain why U.S. national facilities are needed. The distribution of time across the partners is available in the time distribution table.
Jump to:
- New and Notable in 2017B!
- Summary of 2017B Gemini Capabilities
- Large and Long Programs
- Important Dates for 2017B
- Phase I Submission Guidelines for 2017B
- Time Available in 2017B
- Limited-Term Collaborations
- Subaru Exchange Time in 2017B
- Priority Visitor Observing Mode
- Other Proposal Opportunities in 2017B
- Bring One, Get One: Student Travel Assistance Program
- Remote Eavesdropping
- Additional Information
New and Notable in 2017B!
The following capabilities and announcements are notable for the 2017B semester. Please see the relevant instrument pages and subsections of the call for proposals for details. General:
Instruments:
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Summary of 2017B Gemini Capabilities
Gemini North
Gemini North will not be available from Tuesday, August 1 to Friday, August 25 2017 for completion of the dome shutter repair. Targets will be limited to 19 < RA hours < 12.5 and -37 < DEC degrees < +90. The Gemini North laser system has suffered a significant hardware and optical fault and the recovery of the system is unlikely. Priority will be given to the Gemini South Toptica laser in 2017B, followed by the Gemini North Toptica laser in 2018. The Gemini North Laser Guide Star AO system will not be available for regular programs in 2017B. In some cases there are additional constraints as described below and in the target and instrument accessibility page. |
Facility instruments offered in 2017B, in queue or classical mode, are:
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Visitor instruments offered in 2017B (subject to demand), in queue mode only, are:
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Gemini South
Gemini South engineering shutdown is scheduled for 10 nights in October (October 3 to 13 2017), reducing the availability of observing time available in the RA 19h to 5h range by 17%. Target are generally limited to 16 < RA hours < 12 and -90° < dec < +28°. In some cases there are additional constraints as described in the target and instrument accessibility page. |
Facility instruments offered in 2017B, in queue or classical mode, are:
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Visitor instruments offered in 2017B (subject to demand), in queue mode only, are:
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Large and Long Programs
Large and long Programs (LLPs) are Principal Investigator-defined and -driven programs that are expected to require either significantly more time than a partner typically approves for a single program, or extends over two to six semesters, or both. The participating partners (US, Canada, and Argentina) will pool up to 20% of their time at each telescope available for LLPs over each of the next 6 semesters from the start of LLP execution in 2017B. Principal Investigators of LLPs must be based at an institution of one of the participating partner countries. Investigators submitting Proposals for LLPs, to begin execution in 2017B, must have already submitted a letter of intent prior to the February 1st, 2017, deadline. Further information on LLPs and the LLP proposal process can be found on the Large And Long Program page. Information on previously accepted LLPs and their science programs is available here.
Important Dates for 2017B
The deadline for Phase I submission varies with partner. For successful proposals, both queue and classical, the Phase II submission deadline are 15 July 2017 for Gemini South programs and 17 August 2017 for Gemini North programs. More information is available in the 2017B schedule page.
Phase I Submission Guidelines for 2017B
Proposals for time on Gemini, and for time on Subaru via the Gemini-Subaru time exchange program, must use the Gemini Phase I Tool (PIT). Latex and Word templates are available to create a pdf attachment which includes the science and technical cases. See the PIT page for installation information and the help pages for the PIT for assistance. Investigators are requested to include the output from the integration time calculators in the proposal. The requested time for new visitor instruments (i.e. those using the generic Visitor instrument option) should include all required calibrations.
In 2017B Gemini started to implement the Board resolution 2016.A.2.The time for baseline partner calibrations for the Gemini facility instruments and the named visitor instruments (DSSI, TEXES, Phoenix) are now automatically added to the the total time requested for each target in the PIT. Investigators should continue to include the time associated to overheads (acquisition time, readout time, etc) in the total time estimated for each target in the PIT. See the Observing Section in the help pages for the PIT for details.
Time Available in 2017B
The time available for each participant and host institution in 2017B is shown on the time distribution page. At Gemini North, ~152 nights are expected to be available for science. At Gemini South, ~155 nights are expected to be available for science.
Limited-Term Partnerships
Proposals from Korea and Australia are accepted under Limited-Term Partnerships with Gemini Observatory. Proposals with PIs from Limited-term partners are not eligible for joint proposals or Subaru Exchange time. Additionally, for PIs from limited-term partnerships, access to block-scheduled instruments is subject to scheduling constraints, and not guaranteed, irrespective of science rank. The block-scheduled instruments are GSAOI, GRACES, DSSI, Phoenix and POLISH-2.
Subaru Exchange Time
The exchange of time between the Gemini and Subaru communities will continue in 2017B. Gemini expects to be able to exchange a minimum of 5 nights in semester 2017B. Relevant information:
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Facility instruments avaible:
Visitor instruments available (limited to one or two runs in 2017B):
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Priority Visitor Observing Mode
In Priority Visitor Observing, a visiting observer comes to the Observatory for a block as long as or exceeding their program's time allocation, and elects when to carry out their program within that block. This may be when conditions are within their requirement, better than their requirement or even fail to meet their requirement. If time remains on the program after the observing time is complete, the program carries on in the regular queue with priority given by the TAC-assigned science ranking band. When not executing their own program the visiting observer will execute other Gemini queue observations. PV observing mode is offered as a possibility for band 1 queue programs in 2017B. Investigators wishing to have their program considered for PV observing should indicate their desire to participate in the Technical Design portion of their 2017B queue proposal.
Other Proposal Opportunities in 2017B
Other proposal opportunities are available at Gemini Observatory in 2017B. These include:
- The Fast Turnaround (FT) Program provides monthly opportunities to submit proposals, with successful programs scheduled for observation starting one month after each proposal deadline. Up to 10% of the time at Gemini North and Gemini South is available for the FT program.
- Director's Discretionary Time is open to any astronomer worldwide and can be submitted at any time.
- Poor Weather Proposals are solicited for programs that can use poor, but usable, conditions and are executed when nothing in the regular queue is observable. Proposals can be submitted via the normal TAC process (this call) or at any time.
Bring One, Get One: Travel Assistance Program
The Gemini Observatory, at the request of its Users' Committee, would like to strongly encourage the visit of students, and other early-career observers, to observing runs (attending Queue, Classical, or Priority Visiting Observing). In semester 2017B, the Gemini Observatory may subsidize with up to US$2000 the travel expenses of individual under- and graduate students, and other early career observers, visiting Gemini North or South, when accompanying a senior observer. The "Bring One, Get One" Student Observer Support Program" page has full details on this program. This program is subject to the availability of limited funds.
Remote Eavesdropping
Remote Eavesdropping will be available in 2017B for all queue programs. Investigators will be invited to sign up for eavesdropping via the PI email announcing they have been granted time.
Additional Information
Please see the page of supporting information for additional general information. Prospective users should also refer to the target and instrument accessibility page, and the instrument pages for detailed and up to date information on instrumentation.
Questions and Answers
All questions concerning proposals, or any other subject, should be made using the Gemini HelpDesk. This web-based system will send the request to your National Gemini Office staff in the first instance who will escalate it to Gemini staff if necessary.
Comments and suggestions on the format and content of this page and supporting pages are welcome, and should be sent to Rodrigo Carrasco.